Shoulder-braces.



No. 690,096. Patented Dec. 3!, I90l. L. A. BOWER.

SHOULDER BBACES.

[Application filed May 18, 1901.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT @EEICE.

LUCY ALIDA BOWER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SHOULDER-BRACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 690,096, dated December31, 1901. Application filed May 18, 1901. Serial No. 60,828. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUCY ALIDA Bowen, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York city, borough of Manhattan, in the county of NewYork and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Shoulder-Braces; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full,'clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

My invention relates to braces for holding the shoulders in theirnatural position, for restoring symmetry to the figure and erectness ofcarriage, and for correcting faults caused by indulging the tendency tostoop and contract the chest.

The object of the improvements is to produce shoulder-braces which shallbe simple and economical in construction and comfortable to wear andthat may be quickly and easily adjusted and loosened or tightened atwill without removing them and without assistance.

The invention will first be described in connection with theaccompanying drawings and then particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front View of myimproved shoulder-braces as worn on the body. Fig. 2 is a rear View ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the shoulder-braces and Fig. 4is a cross-sectional View of the same, taken on line a: 00 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, a a are two strips or pieces of non-elasticwebbing, and b is a strip of elastic webbing, the latter being sewed tothe ends 0 o of the non-elastic webbing, so that a continuous strip isformed,with an elastic section in the middle. Loops (Z cl are sewed tothe piece I) at about the point where its ends are joined to the piecesca, and the strips a a are crossed at the back, and their ends 6 e arepassed through these loops and brought together and buckled or otherwisefastened at the front. Between the points where the strips cross eachother at the back and the elastic piece 1) these strips are formed intoshoulder-straps ff, which can be enlarged or reduced to fit theshoulders by drawing the pieces a a more or less through the loops (Z dand lapping the ends 6 e and buckling them together. The shoulder-strapsare also retained in proper relation to each other by means of the loops9 g, one end of the former loop being sewed to the piece at below thepiece I) and the other end above piece a, where it crosses the piece a,and one end of the other loop being sewed to piece a below the piece I)and its other end sewed to the piece a above the loop g, which itcrosses. These loops 9 g permit the shoulder-straps or the parts of thepieces a a that form them to move freely in the direction of theirlength without separating.

To put the braces on, the arms are thrust through the shoulder straps,so that the crossed parts and the elastic piece will be at the back, asseen in Fig. 2. The ends are then carried around to the front andbuckled together at the waist, as seen in Fig. 1.

The parts a ll of the shoulder-pieces, that bear against the front ofthe shoulders and pass under the arms, are padded.

The construction of these braces is such that being made of flat webbingor other simi lar suitable material they lie flat against the person andtake up but little room under the clothing, and owing to the diagonal orcrossed back-pieces being held in position by loops only, which allowfree play, the natural motions of the body are unrestricted, and at thesame time the shoulders are held back firmly in their proper position.The braces can be readily loosened or tightened without removing theclothing, and they can be adjusted, by means of the slide h or othercontrivance at the front, to any form. Furthermore, the back-pieces bearagainst and hold the corset down fiat at the back. The braces arecomfortable to the person, durable, and economical.

As stated, the several designated parts may be made from strips orpieces of materialwebbing, for example; but I do not restrict myself tomaking them in that way, as the parts may each be made of a separatepiece and the several pieces afterward fastened together, if preferred.

The ends 6 c of the pieces a a are fastened together and the bracetightened up by means of the bucklej.

I claim- 1. As a new article of manufacture shoulder-braces consistingof the pieces a a, b tween the ends a c of the pieces a a and the formedin a continuous strip, the loops dd loops d d fastened to the elasticpiece I) and connected with the piece I), and the loops g g throughwhich the pieces a a are passed, subconnected with the pieces a a, thepieces a a stantially as specified.

being crossed and the ends passed through In testimony that I claim theinvention theloopsddthus forming the shouldenstraps above set forth Iaffix my signature in presff substantially as specified. ence of twoWitnesses.

2. In shoulder-braces the combination of LUQY ALIDA BOWER.

the non-elastic strips a a crossed to form the v shoulder-straps ff andheld in position by the loops 9 g, the elastic piece I) inserted be-Witnesses:

F. O. 'ZOTTARELLY, WILTON O. DONN.

